Question: The traffic signal at Kamehameha Highway and Halawa Drive is not synchronized and is probably one of the longest waits on the island. I was told it cannot be synchronized because the gizmo they use to do so is under the "Commander Pacific Fleet" wall sign, so access is impossible. This seems ridiculous. One would think either the Navy or city could figure out a solution. It’s not much fun sitting at a red light when there isn’t a car in view for hundreds of yards. Additionally, traffic backs up during rush hour. Can you help?

Answer: Not only do you have to wait for the signals to change, but you’ll also have to wait for something to be done to rectify the situation.

That’s because the area is due to be transferred from the state Department of Transportation to the Honolulu Authority for Rail Transportation (HART) for its rail project. Once that happens, a temporary fix may be possible; if not, the signals won’t change until 2017 at the earliest.

But first the background.

The contractor that installed the Navy sign "buried the loop circuitry" for the traffic signal, confirmed Michael Formby, director of the city Department of Transportation Services.

"Without the loop detectors, you get default timing, which explains why the complainant is waiting with no other vehicles waiting on the cross streets," he said.

The traffic signals now belong to the state DOT, which "will need to reinstall the embedded loop circuitry before the city Traffic Management Center will be able to synchronize the intersection lights," Formby said.

"Our engineers do not know how it got buried by the Navy sign," DOT spokeswoman Caroline Sluyter said of the sensor snafu.

At this point the question apparently is moot. Although the DOT does own this section of Kamehameha Highway, it is scheduled to be turned over to HART in mid-2014.

Given that time frame, the DOT "would not have enough time to prepare design plans and specifications, procure a contractor and complete the work" to fix the signal timing problem, Sluyter said.

Meanwhile, HART will begin working in the vicinity of Aloha Stadium this fall, with expected completion of the elevated rail system in that area in 2017 or 2018, said spokesman Scott Ishikawa.

"At that point we will repave Kamehameha Highway and install new loop detectors at the area intersections to help with traffic signal timing," he said.

It wouldn’t make sense to install loop detectors now, he said, because crews will dig up the pavement shortly to relocate underground utility lines, then begin construction of the rail system.

In the meantime, however, the temporary equivalent of loop detectors will be used along the Leeward Oahu rail route during the construction to help with traffic flow.

"If we find this technology to be successful, we could implement it as a temporary measure at that particular (Halawa) intersection during construction," Ishikawa said.

Question: What is the procedure when a parent dies at home? Do I call 911 and request the police? Do I call the coroner’s office? What are the steps I should take when that situation occurs?

Answer: If a death was unattended and unexpected at home or elsewhere, you should call 911, says the state Department of Health.

Police and EMS personnel will determine the next appropriate steps, said spokeswoman Janice Okubo.

If a death occurs at home and is expected, you should call your doctor. If you call 911 instead, you are advised to inform the operator that the death was expected, Okubo said.

MAHALO

To those who came to my aid after my bicycle decided to become a gymnast and did a 180-degree flip. I suffered broken bones and sprains as a result. Thankfully, the car behind me stopped, and Carl Schwarm stayed with me until I could stand, then drove me home to collect my insurance card and drop off my bike before heading to the ER with cousin Jim. I’ve healed, but wanted to thank Carl and Jim and all good Samaritans, wherever you are and whatever you do. — Cycling Once Again, Robert Schmidt, Manoa

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